Violent Tenants - What Are My Choices?

We recently had an interesting post concerning one landlord who had come into contact with a violent and abusive tenant.  Is there anything that the landlord can do to get them out?  As with most courses of action a landlord should start by reading the primary legislation concerning letting a property with an Assured Shorthold Tenancy.  This is namely the Housing Act 1988 as amended.  This bit of legislation has very kindly been brought up to date by our resident expert Jeffrey Shaw of Nether Edge Law.

Violent & Abusive Tenants
When it comes to abusive tenants as Jeffrey points out the legislation states:

At ground 14 in Schedule 2 to the Housing Act 1988- a (discretionary) s.8 ground for possession against T:

The tenant or a person residing in or visiting the dwelling-house:
(a) has been guilty of conduct causing or likely to cause a nuisance or annoyance to a person residing, visiting or otherwise engaging in a lawful activity in the locality, or
(b) has been convicted of:
(i) using the dwelling-house or allowing it to be used for immoral or illegal purposes, or
(ii) an indictable offence committed in, or in the locality of, the dwelling-house.

The downside of using this part of the housing act is that because it is a s.8 ground for possession the courts have discretion at to whether to grant possession.

Is there anything a landlord can do?  I'd be interested in getting other landlord's views.


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